Importance of external factors Essay Example

Importance of external factors Essay In an administration there are several factors influence the growing and public presentation of the administration. There are some factors which are influence the organisation can be controlled by the direction but some factors are beyond the organisation direction control. The factors which are controlled by the administration known as internal factors and factors which are beyond the direction control known as external factors such as Political. economical. societal and proficient factors. Political Factors: For BA political factors are really of import for concern growing. As this company is runing around the universe and involved in air conveyance. country’s political tenseness can halter its normal operation every bit good as the gross income. Economic: economical factor is another of import factor for such company. As still air travel is expensive. people’s ability to go and economic conditions should be considered when be aftering for BA. As an illustration BA faced a immense loss when the European recession started. Technological: Entire concern related to BA is based on the engineering. As the air conveyance sector is excessively competitory. all companies are ever ready to catch the new engineering as a gift for their possible clients. So. as taking company BA ever has to see the technological factors within its concern. We will write a custom essay sample on Importance of external factors specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Importance of external factors specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Importance of external factors specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Expectations of a stakeholders Stakeholders include those persons. groups. and other organisations who have an involvement in the actions of an organisation and who have the ability to act upon it. The stakeholder attack consistently integrates executives’ concerns about organisational scheme with the organization’s involvements in selling. human resource direction. public dealingss. organisational political relations. and societal duty. This integrative position assumes that an effectual organisation scheme requires consensus from a plurality of cardinal stakeholders about what it should be making and how these things should be done. The degree of stakeholders outlooks are depends on the assorted factors and types of stakeholders in a company. Sing all afcts BA’s stakeholders outlooks are stated below: O Risk direction of the company. o Technological alteration within the company. o Financial and economical public presentation of the company. o Environmental and ethical battle. o Contibution to societal. cultural and economical. O Policy for the future external and internal factors. o Program to turn to any negative impact. o Future development and ends. Major alterations in the external environment As a company in air hose sector BA is runing and has many offices around the universe. So the socio-economic factors irrespective of geographic countries can be a good factor fro its strategic planning procedure. For illustration. BA had closed their all operation and office from most of south Asiatic states due to the uninterrupted loss. The chief ground for that loss was economic bad conditions in that country. Like this many socio-economic factors can be the major issues for BA’s scheme devising. During the political tenseness in middle-east many people ignored to go with BA. which caused a immense loss for its annual gross. Another of import alteration that could impact BA’s scheme is legal issues. BA faced assorted legal duties in different states that played a immense impact on their hereafter staretgy. Many states has different regulations for their air hose sector and BA has to follow those regulations to run its fleet in those states. A SWOT analysis of BA can be included here to measure its possible major alterations in external environment. Strength: ? 1. Merger and Acquisition ? ? 2. Opensky understanding. ? ? 3. Strong trade name image ? ? 4. Expansion of fleet Failing: ? 1. Cost of direction. ? ? 2. Decline profitableness ? ? 3. Labour work stoppage Opportunities: 1. Emergence of new market. ? 2. Increased travel concern in Europe. ? 3. Economic Restoration. Menaces: ? 1. Raising fuel cost. ? 2. Changing of consumers’ behavior. ? 3. Unstable political issues worldwide. PESTEL Analysis In order to mensurate success in air hose industry. en external environmental analysis is really of import. This PESTEL analysis will explicate the BA’s place in the market. peculiarly in footings of rivals and how it measuring to run into its current and future challenges. Factor Key Points Deductions for BA Political 1. Heavy ordinances. 2. Increased security due to past onslaughts. 1. Conformity is indispensable. 2. Sufficient security steps should be in topographic point. Economic 1. Global Economic Crisis. 2. Oil monetary value is non stable. 3. UK consumer saw largest diminution in disbursement. 1. Possible decrease of concern travel. 2. Directly impacting the BA’s cost base. Social Technological 1. UK has an aging population. 2. Increasing unemployment. 1. Online user usually use comparison site. 2. Online engagement and reserve going more popular. 1. Potential chance for growing as older individual will pass more clip in vacation. 2. Increased dickering power for new employees. 1. Increased deal power for both parties. 2. Must guarantee that BA’s remain up to day of the month. Ethical 1. Noise pollution control 2. Cancellations of flight and luggage loss. 1. New statute law. 2. Such ethical issues could hold a damaging consequence on repute if left unsolved. Legal 1. Collusion and monetary value repair. 2. Open skies understanding. 1. Restriction on amalgamations will hold an impact on BA’s proposed confederation with American Airlines. 2. Opportunity for BA and its rivals to freely transport aircraft between the EU and US. Undertaking 2 Analyse the effects of current concern program Any administration has to hold a elaborate program for their concern. This program determines the mission and vision of that administration. The strategic planning squad develop this concern program for the administration. By assesing this program any stakeholder or other external entities can acquire thought about the type and country of concern. There are many tools for analyzing the effects of such program over the administration. These analysis tools includes: SWOT Analysis. Value Chain Analysis. Porter’s Five Forces Analysis etc. To see the effects of concern program on BA. writer will utilize Porter’s Five forces tool here. British Airways- market place. by Porter’s Five forces: Force Strength 1. Competitive Competition: b. BA caters for other flights. c. There are really little diffrentiation between BA and other rivals in footings of pricing. d. Short Haul market is more disconnected by little participants. 2. Power of Supplier: a. Merely two providers for aircrafts. b. BA restricted by exclusive provider of fuel to the airdrome. 3. Power of Buyer: a. For long draw. clients has no pick most of the clip. B. Availability of flight and seats are non plenty c. Price usually changes harmonizing to demand. 4. Menaces to new Entrants: a. Competitive Environment. B. High regulative demands. c. High cost demands. 5. Menaces to replacements: a. Very few direct closed replacements. B. Short Haul flight: Euro Star or Ferry. c. Long Haul flights: No noteworthy replacements. High High Medium High Low Current Market poistion of BA In startegic manageemtn assorted tools are used to analyze the current market place of any administration. These tools are proven proficient analysis tools in direction sector. The analysis tools that largely used for the market place analysis are: BCG Matrix. GAP Analysis. Life Cycle Analysis. Market Share Analysis etc. In order to set about the BA’s current market portion analysis as asked in the class work. writer here used two tools. These are below. BCG matrix Figure 1: BCG Matrix ( Source: Emerald Insight 2012 ) British Airways had a great market portion and low growing in last few old ages. It is apparent that. they did non do any large investing either in their fleet or increasing the finish. which could do them hard currency cow. In recent. they changed their staretgies and concentrating on increasing fleet every bit good as spread outing the geographical market. BA’s another large strategic decesion was amalgamation with Liberia which eventually done on the terminal of 2010. This amalgamation will assist to increase BA’s gross as a one of the top in the avaiation inductry. By making so. BA will non merely bring forth the big sums of money they will besides devour big sum of money per twelvemonth. Therefore the hard currency in every way about nets out. This sort of activities proves that British Airways is going a Star but in slow procedure. Product/Service life rhythm Introduction Phase By the 1920’s Britain had a batch of air hose companies but due to strong competition many private British air bearers were forced out of concern. In 1923 all these companies merged to organize a individual British international air bearer called the Imperial Air conveyance. Meanwhile. the British air passages. had begun to enforce a large menace and competition to imperial air conveyance which resulted in the formation of the British Overseas Airways Cooperation was formed ( BOAC ) that subsequently combined with the BEA and 2 smaller companies formed the British Airways ( BA ) Growth Stage The growing can be easy marked by the debut of the concorde into the BA. In 1985 British Airways was made a public limited company. In February 1987 the denationalization was eventually consummated when 720. 2 million portions of British Airways stock were sold to the populace for one billion lbs. Expansion of fleet and paths were even more noticeable after amalgamations with other bearers like Bcal ( British Caledonian ) . Due to the enlargement of BA. another bearer Laker Airways were besides forced out of concern. This marked how dominant BA was turning out to be in the air bearer sector. Maturity Phase The BA amalgamations assured the laterality of the bearer in the place market secure for the clip being. During this phase confederations and amalgamations made/attempted by BA with other bearers in different markets were legion: Aliiance with Aeroflot in Russia to make Air Russia. Attempted amalgamation with KLM royal Dutch air passages. Broke down due to rating of the two houses. Purchased 25 % of Qantas air hoses in Australia. Gained 49. 9 % of the Gallic. TAT European Airlines. Started a German bearer called Deutsche BA with 49 % ownership. Measure the competitory strength and failing Harmonizing to Jhonson ( 2008 ) . a value concatenation analysis is undertaken when a reliable attack to develop competitory advantage has made. In here. in order to analyze the British Airways competitory advantages. value concatenation analysis has done. Figure 2: Value Chain Analysis ( Source: Emerald Insight 2008 ) Value Chain Analysis: Primary activities within value-chain analysis are the 1s that straight affect the concern within short period of clip and their affect is easy to supervise. They are inward logistics. operations. operations. outbound logistics. selling and gross revenues. and post-sales services. Inbound logistics. Goods received from company providers are referred to as inward logistics. Competitive advantage is achieved in inbound logistics phase of the concern by BA through set uping ongoing relationships with providers. sophisticated system for stock control and professional preparation that has been accredited by UK City and Guilds ( BA Press Office. 2008 ) Operations. By and large. operations phase of the concern involves fixing goods and services to be sold to clients. BA has a scope of competitory advantages in operations portion of the concern through offering its clients increased security for their baggage. offering speedy check-in services and besides offering some services such as ticket engagements and engagement of other services online. Selling and gross revenues are considered to be one of the chief evidences for deriving competitory advantage and normally is utilized by many companies to the full. Competitive border gained in selling and gross revenues by BA involve marketing activities non merely to clients. but besides to all stakeholders of the company. Besides. BA senior direction big sum of budget for selling and gross revenues enterprises for the company. Undertaking 3 Strategic options for British Air passages In order to develop strategic options for an organisation utilizing mold tools. writer here used Ansoff matrix. Here is the treatment with this tool. The Ansoff implies concern growing either by marketing new or bing merchandises in bing or new markets ( Shaw 2011. 83 ) . Market Penetration Although BA already has presence in the bing market it is confronting stiff competition. For illustration. in the short draw market. quickly saturating with budget air hoses. BA lost ?1 billion in grosss by terminal of 2009/2010 fiscal twelvemonth. The major options presently are 1 ) Bettering on people procedures including bag managing 2 ) Further investing on information engineering particularly on internet engagements ( British Air passages 2010. 58 ) Market development Market development scheme focuses on non-buying clients in already presently targeted sections and focal points on new clients in new sections ( Angwin. Cummings. Smith 2011. 73 ) . BA is seeking to recover some concern category clients from Virgin air hoses and other rivals. Merchandise development Product development entails the procedure used to convey new merchandises into the market. For illustration. BA introduced a new in-flight amusement system in the Boeing 777-300 ERs in 2010 and the First Cabin. a sophisticated Ne cabin that offers clients the opportunity to work. animate. eat and slumber ( British Air passages 2010. 67 ) . Diversification Diversification is a concern scheme that attempts to increase profitableness by presenting new merchandises in new markets. Formation of confederations is a comparatively new tendency in new markets. for case ; by join forcesing with India’s Kingfisher air hoses. BA will increase finish connexions and better flight agendas ( British Air passages 2010. 76 ) . Choice of the most feasible strategic options The best manner of making this is by extinguishing the least feasible options to stay with the most feasible options. Renovation of trade name image: British Airways already possesses the advantage of holding a globally recognised trade name name ( Buckingham 2011. 13 ) . Introduction of complimentary services: basically requires the recreation of capital financess to implement. Presently. it does non significantly heighten Product development ( Ansoff ) ( Punzel 2011. 32 ) . Diversifying into other transport markets- Diversification is presently non a precedence relation to other more good schemes ( Punzel 2011. 32 ) . Supply concatenation migration: As portion of variegation ( Ansoff ) . this is besides non a feasible scheme at this clip ( Belobaba. Odoni. Barnhart 2009. 67 ) . Options for future organizational scheme Through market cleavage. companies divide big heterogenous markets into smaller sections that can be reached more expeditiously with merchandises and services that match their alone demands. ( kotler. 2009 ) British Airways has divided it market cleavage into different variables. There are figure of variables involved in consumer market cleavage. entirely and in combination. These variables are: †¢Geographic variables †¢Demographic variables †¢Psychographic variables †¢Behavioral variables Occupation- British Air passages give excess benefit for High Class. Some of the benefits like Club Card. Income- Peoples who are into concern category can go in British air passages as airfare are really high. Nationality – In British airway all different sort of nationality travel.

Relieving Students School-Related Stress

Relieving Students School-Related Stress The term â€Å"comic relief† relates to a humorous act or a witty dialogue in a serious literary work to reduce tension or intensify the impact of the particular dramatic action. Similarly, #ComicRelief is a UK-based charitable organization doing funny things (i.e Red Nose Day) to raise the money they can use to eliminate the root causes of social injustice and alleviate the sufferings of those living in poverty around the world. Since 1985, members of #ComicRelief are doing comedy shows on TV and other funny things in homes, workplaces, and schools to raise funds. In reality, the organization’s fundraising strategy not only alleviates stressful life situations of the poor but also reduces work and school-related stress. For instance, funny moments during Red Nose Day in primary and secondary schools temporarily relieved students’ study and other school-related stress. The study shows that most students experienced a large amount of stress in school. The causes and extent of this school-related stress include student’s own pressure to excel, frequent and large amount of homework, extra-curricular activities and chores, demands from teachers, and pressure to get a scholarship. Other studies, on the other hand, found grades, parents’ expectations, and getting along with other people who have different beliefs as sources of stress. Choosing sides and finding allies, difficulties in peer interactions, exams, use of public restrooms are also identified as prevalent school-related stressors. Students that are severely affected by school-related stress experienced physiological and cognitive symptoms such as headaches, stomachaches, shortness of breath, and others while those with cognitive symptoms commonly experienced catastrophic thoughts, humiliation, insanity, and gradually losing self-esteem. In worse cases, students avoiding unpleasant symptoms may refuse to attend school. Get more information here: Perspiration Is Nothing without a Little Bit of Inspiration Developing Students Creativity and Self-Expression through Crayons Is High IQ a Guarantee of Academic Success? The Limits of Academic Freedom Combining Academic Knowledge and Practicality Way of Relieving School-Related Stress Watching and enjoying #ComicRelief funny activities in school can greatly reduce school-related stress. However, students can take some positive steps relieve their stress. They can get involved stress moderating leisure and enjoyable physical activity. Reduce pressures imposed by demanding schoolwork by being more organized, schedule activities and prioritize schoolwork over non-school activities. Learn to say â€Å"No†, adopt a positive attitude, avoid stressful situations, eat a well-balanced meal, sleep early, take the time to relax, and talk about your problems to others. Since stressful situations increased blood pressure, students can benefit from progressive relaxation, yoga, meditation, listening to music, watching funny videos, deep breathing, and exercise. Stressors in schools are directly related to students’ inability to cope with a lot of tasks as well as the conditions of the school environment. School authorities, such as teachers having unrealistic and unreasonable expectations can be a prime source of stress. In college, for instance, stress from a strict curriculum, conflicting class schedules, enormous workload, and dealing with relentless professors is very common. Students, therefore, must develop positive thoughts patterns and responses on stress. These include the ability to overcome difficult moments through productive thinking, letting off steam through proper breathing, relieving physical and mental tensions through exercise, and doing something they truly enjoy. Some effective stress relievers include music, sports, gardening, doing some arts and crafts projects, and participating in church or civil activities. School-related stress is inescapable thus, it is always best for students to improve their problem-solving skills, maintain high-level of self-esteem, have fun and be assertive in confronting stressful situations.

Starbucks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Starbucks - Essay Example Other countries where Starbucks has opened several stores include Canada, where it operates 1,248 and Japan where Starbucks has 965 stores (Garza par. 1). Industry Starbuck Corporation deals with the sales of drip brewed coffee, hot drinks of espresso, coffee beans, hot and cold drinks, sandwiches, salads, sweet pastries, Panini, snacks and other items such as tumblers and mugs. In addition, Starbucks sells coffee and ice cream at its grocery stores (Stevens and Loudon, 2005). As aforementioned, Starbucks is currently the largest coffee company and chain in the world operating more than 20,000 stores in 62 countries. Starbuck also stands out as one of the major employer company in the world with more than 149,000 employees. In addition, the company has over 4 million followers on Twitter plus 34 million likes on Facebook (Garza par. 3). Regarding growth, Starbucks currently operates at a mature stage of its lifecycle. Since its founding more than 2 decades ago, the company has experi enced rapid growth since its formation. Nevertheless, the growth prospects have significantly slowed down in recent times, which have even forced it to close some of its chains. Starbucks is currently focusing its efforts on its earlier endeavors and internationalization (Allison 4). Starbuck’s Mission Statement Starbuck’s mission statement is more than just words. ... Starbuck’s Sales History Starbuck has always registered increased sales over the last two decades of its existence. With a market capitalization worth $50 billion, the company has always been able to register increased sales, thanks to its quality coffee, which continue to attract more customers. In the year 2012, for example, the company registered $13 billion in sales (Murphy par. 3). Target Markets Starbuck has a very diverse market with segments varying depending on the different products that the company offers. However, in general terms, Starbuck’s target market comprises of the coffee drinkers throughout the country. Starbuck also targets mainly men and women aged between 18 to 35 years since they form about 40% of the total market. Most of the company’s customers reside in cities and suburban areas. Starbuck’s target market also comprises of university faculty members and students, as well as individuals working in managerial, professional, and exe cutive positions. Further, the company also targets people with earning relatively higher incomes, since the company’s products are more expensive than other coffee shops such as Tim Hotton and Coffee Times (Murphy par. 5). Competitive advantage Starbuck’s competitive advantage is based on the company’s strengths. These include the premium quality of its coffee drinks and other products that it offers. Starbuck also provide its customers with a brand experience that goes beyond the products that it deals with, including excellent customer service, peculiar drink names, and elegant looking stores that serves as an excellent meeting point. The company also gives back to the community and protects the environment through corporate social responsibility. In addition, the company has strong personnel

My philosophy of education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

My philosophy of education - Essay Example During an observation at Battery Park City School, I found an example. In a class of first graders, when a girl was moving a bean bag chair by herself, a boy classmate walked up to her and helped her move it. As soon as Liz, who is their teacher, saw it, she said, â€Å"Oh! Look at him. How gentle he is! You are a gentleman.† In this case, the boy is recognized and feels a sense of pride with what he has done. This helps the boy learn that helping others is a good thing. The teacher’s words are helpful not only for the boy, but also for the rest of students in class. Hearing their teacher praise their classmate for lending a helping hand will help them realize that helping others is a good thing. Through a few words of praise, students could learn what is right and it helps form their personality. In this context, praise is an effective learning method and teaching method. Alice S. Honig discussed the positive solutions to address typical difficulties. One of the positive solutions mentioned was praise. According to Honig, â€Å"Children who are tense may show signs of pressure and frustration, like biting their nails or stuttering. Harsh response will only make children more tense. Instead, find situations in which these children shine, and bolster their self-confidence with Praise. For example, ‘Marques, you did a beautiful job of hanging up your coat!’ †. For Gartrell as cited in Meece and Soderman, appropriate praise is one that is â€Å"sincere, constructive, and encouraging†. Children tend to flourish when adults take notice and recognize a child’s effort and accomplishments. Recognizing positive changes in a child’s behavior and abilities also helps. Pro-social behavior is developed when the positive results of a child’s behavior on another is pointed out. In promoting a positive verbal environment, praise is used as a means to encourage a child’s intrinsic motivation. As the articles

Learning experience of international students Essay

Learning experience of international students - Essay Example This paper expounds how foundation courses in the UK enhance the learning experience of International students. Learning in the UK is conducted through the English language. According to Cormie (2009: n.p). approximately 6000 different languages are spoken all over the world today. This shows that some of the students may be from non-English speaking backgrounds. It is also important to note that English may also be the second language of some of the students. In this regard, foundation courses present International students with a chance to improve their English language skills. One of the requirements for University entry in the UK is command of the English language. Foundation courses are specially designed to prepare International students to achieve these requirements (University of Bristol, 2015: A4). University of Bristol (2015: A4) explicates that their International foundation program helps students "Improve their general academic skills of taking notes from lectures, learn to deal with academic reading texts, and improve their writing skills". These skills provides International students with proficiency and dexterity necessary in starting a University degree program. In other words, students acquaint themselves with note taking, reading, and writing as these skills are incorporated in the culture of learning institutions in the UK. Foundational courses also gives International students an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the new culture as well as the environment in general before joining University (Horvath and Medgyes, 2014: 12). University courses comprises of interactions and discussions with people from different cultural backgrounds. It is therefore imperative to understand and comprehend how to interact with people from other cultures particularly in new countries as some spoken or written opinions may be considered taboo in those cultures. Learning environments refers to physical environment or surroundings. As an example,

General Motors Mission, Vision, and Values

General Motors Mission, Vision, and Values Company Background Founded in 1908, General Motors Corporation (GM) is the worlds largest automaker and has been the global industry leader in sales for 76 years (General Motors, 2008a). The United States is GMs largest national market, followed by China, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany. Today, the company employs about 284,000 people worldwide. With its global headquarters located in Detroit, GM manufactures cars and trucks in 33 countries. In 2006, GM sold 9.1 million cars and trucks globally under the brands Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, and Vauxhall (General Motors, 2008a). GM has fostered partnerships with many automobile manufacturers around the world. The company is currently the majority shareholder in GM Daewoo Auto Technology Co. of South Korea (General Motors, 2008a). GM has collaborated with Suzuki Motor Corp. and Isuzu Motors Ltd. of Japan with product, powertrain, and purchasing. The company has also collaborated with DaimlerChrysler AG and BMW AG of Germany, and Toyota Motor Corp., on advanced technology and ventured in vehicle manufacturing with several automakers, including Toyota, Suzuki, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. of China, AVTOVAZ of Russia, and Renault SA of France. The company currently sells its genuine parts and accessories under the GM, GM Performance Parts, GM Goodwrench, and ACDelco brands through GM Service and Parts Operations, which supplies GM dealerships and distributors worldwide (General Motors, 2008a). With all of GMs success in the past, the company is facing challenges during this time of economic hardship. The companys market valuation has decreased to $5.9 billion and its stock prices are at its lowest in 50 years (Lowenstein, 2008), which is evident with a closing price of $9.69 on July 10, 2008 (Yahoo Finance, 2008a). The skyrocketing price of oil seems to be the immediate cause of GMs problems, decreasing the sale of its sport utility vehicles and trucks (Lowenstein, 2008). The automaker is potentially looking at more layoffs and speculation of a possible sale of Buick and Pontiac (Lowenstein, 2008), however GMs vice president states that Hummer is the only brand the automaker is considering selling at this time (Yahoo Finance, 2008b). Mission/Vision Statement The mission/vision of GM is to be the world leader in transportation products and related services (General Motors, 2008b). Through continuous improvements driven by integrity, teamwork, and innovation of GM people, the company has earned its customers trust and enthusiasm. With all of the competition and the advancement of hybrid and alternative fueled vehicles, GM should look to being a leader of innovation. With this in mind, the mission statement could read GM will become the world leader in quality, innovative, and cost efficient products. The mission is for GM to become the auto industry leader in sales and market share in the global market. Company Values GM has six core values in which employees are to use in conducting daily business practices (General Motors, 2008c). These core values consist of continuous improvement, customer enthusiasm, innovation, teamwork, and individual respect and responsibility. These values must portray an image to the companys consumers that it values their needs and wants. With this said GM should add customer value and thinking green to its core values. This measure would show the company is focused on achieving high levels of customer satisfaction by providing innovative products that offer customers more choices with alternative fueled vehicles. Thinking green will show the company is concerned with doing right by the environment How Mission, Vision, and Values Aid in Reaching Desired End State Mission/Vision In order for GM to achieve its vision, the company understands that many issues must be addressed in order to attain its many goals. In order to become a more sustainable company, GM recognizes the importance of integrating economic, environmental, and social objectives into its daily business objectives and future planning activities. The future success of the company partly depends on technology, innovation, and partnerships (General Motors, 2008b). With technology, GM can efficiently address climate changes and fuel efficiency through its products. By accelerating the development and deployment of new technology, the company is able to improve its existing technology. Innovation provides GM with the tools to develop new ways of doing things as a company and with others. With increased competition in the global industry, innovation is critical in the future success of the company. In order to continue being responsive to the needs and concerns of its stakeholder and creating a sustainable future, GM understands the importance of continuing to build strong partnerships with the employees, industries, governments, markets, and communities, and others in order to be responsive to the needs and concerns of our various stakeholders (General Motors, 2008b). Values GM is based on is six fundamental values.With these values, the company has adopted and endorsed principles, such as the GM Environmental Principles and the Global Sullivan Principles. These principles are consistent with the companys values and serve to inform its strategies. The company states, These strategies drive our behaviors and actions, which produce the results that matter (General Motors, 2008c). Components of the Strategic Management Process Needing to be Analyzed Effect the New Strategy will have on the Leadership and Culture of the Organization How the Outcomes will Affect Stakeholders References General Motors. (2008a). About GM: Company profile. Retrieved July 10, 2008, from http://www.gm.com General Motors. (2008b). Sustainability and GM: Vision and Strategy. Retrieved July 10, 2008, from http://www.gm.com General Motors. (2008c). 2005/06 corporate responsibility report. Retrieved July 9, 2008, from http://www.gm.com Lowenstein, R. (2008). Siphoning G.M.s future. New York Times, p. A.21. Retrieved July 10, 2008, from ProQuest database. Yahoo Finance. (2008a). General Motors Corporation (GM): Historical prices. Retrieved July 12, 2008, from http://finance.yhoo.com/ Yahoo Finance. (2008b). GM reassures dealers only Hummer brand is for sale. Reuters. Retrieved July 10, 2008, from http://biz.yahoo.com

Internet - Disclosure of Personal Information On-line and Identity Thef

Disclosure of Personal Information On-line and the Occurrence of Identity Theft Introduction Identification is a critical and common process which we encounter on a regular basis as we carry out our daily activities. Companies, government agencies and institutions routinely ask individuals for personal information in order to help identify a specific individual from another. In the past, people have relied upon face-to-face exchange of information and identity verification but with the recent explosion of the Internet this system has become relatively obsolete. Personal information that had previously been stored in file cabinets in secure locations is now easily collected and stored on databases. Does this fast and efficient system violate the security of our personal information? Is our personal information and basic identifying data truly secure on the net? Irwin Winkler’s movie â€Å"The Net† illustrates the type of problems that can arise if an individual’s personal information falls into the wrong hands. Winkler’s main character, Angela Bennett, played by Sandra Bullock, fell victim to identity theft as her personal information and key identify data were stolen and used in order to exchange her identity with another.1 Although the plot of the movie seems a little far-fetched, identity theft by means of the Internet is a serious and common problem that occurs frequently in real life. How do we identify ourselves on the Internet? In the virtual realm of the Internet physical means for identification verification are relatively non-existent since it requires specific technology, such as biometrics, which is not widely used. Instead the most common methods for identity verif... ... lives an open book just waiting to be read. In order to prevent identity theft on-line we must take into account that Internet companies and the Internet, itself, play just as an important role in identity theft on-line as hackers and thieves. References 1. Winkler, I. (1995), â€Å"The Net†. 2. Noack, D. (2000), â€Å"Identity Theft Thrives in Cyberspace†, http://www.apbnews.com/newscenter/internetcrime/2000/03/08/idtheft0308.01html 3. Marlin, A. (2000), â€Å"Online Identity Theft a Growing Concern†, http://www.europe.cnn.com/2000/tech/computing/08/16/id.theft.offline.idg/ 4. Barlow, J. (2000), â€Å"Privacy On-line: A Shattered Illusion†, http://wings.buffalo.edu/Complaw/CompLawPapers/ryan.html 5. Chaum, D. (1996), â€Å"Achieving Electronic Privacy†, in High Noon on the Electronic Frontier: Conceptual Issues in Cyberspace, edited by Peter Ludlow, pp.224-225. Internet - Disclosure of Personal Information On-line and Identity Thef Disclosure of Personal Information On-line and the Occurrence of Identity Theft Introduction Identification is a critical and common process which we encounter on a regular basis as we carry out our daily activities. Companies, government agencies and institutions routinely ask individuals for personal information in order to help identify a specific individual from another. In the past, people have relied upon face-to-face exchange of information and identity verification but with the recent explosion of the Internet this system has become relatively obsolete. Personal information that had previously been stored in file cabinets in secure locations is now easily collected and stored on databases. Does this fast and efficient system violate the security of our personal information? Is our personal information and basic identifying data truly secure on the net? Irwin Winkler’s movie â€Å"The Net† illustrates the type of problems that can arise if an individual’s personal information falls into the wrong hands. Winkler’s main character, Angela Bennett, played by Sandra Bullock, fell victim to identity theft as her personal information and key identify data were stolen and used in order to exchange her identity with another.1 Although the plot of the movie seems a little far-fetched, identity theft by means of the Internet is a serious and common problem that occurs frequently in real life. How do we identify ourselves on the Internet? In the virtual realm of the Internet physical means for identification verification are relatively non-existent since it requires specific technology, such as biometrics, which is not widely used. Instead the most common methods for identity verif... ... lives an open book just waiting to be read. In order to prevent identity theft on-line we must take into account that Internet companies and the Internet, itself, play just as an important role in identity theft on-line as hackers and thieves. References 1. Winkler, I. (1995), â€Å"The Net†. 2. Noack, D. (2000), â€Å"Identity Theft Thrives in Cyberspace†, http://www.apbnews.com/newscenter/internetcrime/2000/03/08/idtheft0308.01html 3. Marlin, A. (2000), â€Å"Online Identity Theft a Growing Concern†, http://www.europe.cnn.com/2000/tech/computing/08/16/id.theft.offline.idg/ 4. Barlow, J. (2000), â€Å"Privacy On-line: A Shattered Illusion†, http://wings.buffalo.edu/Complaw/CompLawPapers/ryan.html 5. Chaum, D. (1996), â€Å"Achieving Electronic Privacy†, in High Noon on the Electronic Frontier: Conceptual Issues in Cyberspace, edited by Peter Ludlow, pp.224-225.

Coyote Blue Chapter 10~11

CHAPTER 10 Over Easy, Politically Correct Santa Barbara Sam spent most of the night cleaning up the debris from Josh Spagnola's shooting exhibition. Exhausted from the overall strangeness of his day, he went to bed early, but lay awake until well after midnight, first worrying, then trying to understand what was happening to him, and finally fantasizing about the girl. Amid the misery he retained hope, although he could not logically figure out why. She was, after all, just a girl – the goofiest girl he had ever met. Still, the thought of seeing her again made him smile, and he was able to escape into dreamless sleep. When he awoke the next morning, the world seemed a much kinder place, as if during the night the calamities of the previous day had become distant and harmless. Order had returned. At one time he might have met such a day by looking to the rising sun and thanking the Great Spirit for returning his harmony with the world, as Pokey had taught him. He would have looked for rain clouds, felt the promise of the day's winds, smelled the dew and the sage, listened for the call of an eagle, the best of good-luck signs, and in that short time he would have confirmed that he and the world were of one spirit, balanced. Today he missed the rising sun by three hours. He met his day in the shower, washing his hair with shampoo that was guaranteed to have never been put in a bunny's eyes and from which ten percent of the profits went to save the whales. He lathered his face with shaving cream free of chlorofluorocarbons, thereby saving the ozone layer. He breakfasted on fertile eggs laid by sexually satisfied chickens that were allowed to range while listening to Brahms, and muffins made with pesticide-free grain, so no eagle-egg shells were weakened by his thoughtless consumption. He scrambled the eggs in margarine free of tropical oils, thus preserving the rain forest, and he added milk from a carton made of recycled paper and shipped from a small family farm. By the time he finished his second cup of coffee, which would presumably help to educate the children of a poor peasant farmer named Juan Valdez, Sam was on the verge of congratulating himself for single-handedly saving the planet just by getti ng up in the morning. He would have been surprised, however, if someone had told him that it had been two years since he had set foot on unpaved ground. He was writing a note to himself to put a new subliminal message on his computer, SAVE THE WORLD, BUY THIS POLICY, when Josh Spagnola called. â€Å"Sam, did you hear what happened at the association meeting last night?† â€Å"No, Josh, I've been cleaning up my place.† â€Å"The place, Sam. I think this will be an easier transition if you start referring to it as the place.† â€Å"You mean they voted to buy me out? Without even asking me? I can't believe it.† â€Å"I was actually very surprised myself. People seem to dislike you in the extreme, Sam. I think the dog was just their excuse for a general fuck-over.† â€Å"You told them it wasn't my dog, didn't you?† â€Å"I told them, but it didn't matter. They hate you, Sam. The doctors and lawyers hate you because you make enough money to live here. The married guys hate you because you're single. The married women hate you because you remind their husbands that they aren't single. The old people hate you because you're young, and the rest just hate you because you aren't Japanese. Oh, yeah, one bald guy hates you because you have hair. For a guy that maintains a low profile, you've built quite a little snowball of resentment.† Sam had never given his neighbors a second thought, never even spoken to most of them, so now the realization that they hated him enough to take away his home was a shock. â€Å"I've never done anything to hurt anybody in this complex.† â€Å"I wouldn't take it personally, Sam. Nothing brings people together like hate for profit. You didn't have a chance against the clay tennis courts.† â€Å"What does that mean? We don't have clay tennis courts.† â€Å"No, but when they buy your townhouse for what you paid for it, then sell it to someone more suitable at the market rate, the association will have enough profit to build clay tennis courts. We'll be the only complex in Santa Barbara with clay courts. Should raise the value of the property at least ten percent. Sorry, Sam.† â€Å"Isn't there anything I can do? Can't I bring legal action or something?† â€Å"This isn't an official call, Sam. I am calling as your friend and not on behalf of the association, so let me give you my best advice on taking legal action: it's suicide. Half the guys that voted you out are lawyers. In six months you'd be broke and they'd be drinking your blood over backgammon. The time for legal advice was eight years ago when you signed that agreement.† â€Å"Great. Where were you then?† â€Å"I was stealing your Rolex.† â€Å"You stole my Rolex? That was you? My gold Rolex? You dick!† â€Å"I didn't know you then, Sam. It was a professional thing. Besides, the statute of limitations has run out. It's time to forgive and forget.† â€Å"Fuck you, Josh. You'll get a bill for the damage you caused.† â€Å"Sam, do you know how concerned I am about your bill? I don't give a decaying damn, I don't-â€Å" Sam hung up on the security guard. The phone immediately rang and Sam stared at it for a minute. Should he let Josh get the satisfaction of the last word? He looked at the shattered remains of his television, picked up the phone, and shouted, â€Å"Look, you wormy little fuck, you're lucky I don't come down there and pop your head like a pimple!† â€Å"Sam, this is Julia, down at the office. I have Aaron on the line for you.† â€Å"Sorry, Julia, I was expecting someone else. Hang on a second.† He sat down on the couch and held the receiver to his chest while he tried to regain his composure. Too much change, too fast. He couldn't let Aaron catch him with his guard down. His good friend Aaron, his partner, his mentor. And Josh Spagnola was supposed to be his friend, too. What was the deal with Josh? He'd turned on Sam overnight. Why? Sam lit a cigarette and took a long drag, then blew the smoke out in a slow stream before speaking into the phone. â€Å"Julia, you caught me in the shower. Tell Aaron I'll be in the office in an hour. We'll talk then.† He hung up before she could respond. He dialed the number of the Cliffs' security office. Josh Spagnola answered. â€Å"Josh, this is Sam Hunter.† â€Å"Very rude, Sam. Hanging up when I am telling you how little I care is very rude.† â€Å"That's why I'm calling, Josh. I've heard your little speeches before. I want to know what you've got on me.† â€Å"Then you haven't seen the paper this morning?† â€Å"I told you before, I've been patching holes all fucking morning. What goes?† â€Å"Seems that Jim Cable, the diving mogul, was attacked by an Indian outside of his office and had a heart attack. They said he had just finished an appointment with an insurance agent.† â€Å"So, what's your point, Josh?† â€Å"The point is, Sam, that after I ran out of your place yesterday, I went through the apartment next door and ran out on the deck. I thought I could come in from behind the dog and get a shot at it. But when I got there I saw an Indian vaulting over the rail of your deck. The Indian was wearing black, just like the one they described in the paper. Interesting coincidence, huh?† Sam didn't know what to say. Spagnola had half the complex under his thumb for one reason or another, but Sam didn't know how the burglar used his information other than as a license to be rude. Sam didn't want to bring up blackmail when Spagnola might just be in this to watch him squirm. Sam had watched a thousand clients squirm under his own manipulation, but he wasn't sure how to go about it himself. He decided to take a direct approach. â€Å"Okay, Josh,† he said. â€Å"I'm squirming. Now what?† â€Å"Sammy, I love you, kid. You and I are like peas in a pod. You, me, and that Aaron guy at your office.† â€Å"You know Aaron?† â€Å"Just spoke to him this morning when I called your office. Your secretary said that you were no longer with the firm and Mr. Aaron was taking all your calls from now on. Aaron and I had a long talk.† â€Å"Did you tell him about the Indian?† â€Å"No, he told me. Strange thing, Sam, he seems to want you out of the business pretty badly, but not just for the profit. I think he's afraid of the attention you're going to get if it turns out that you're associated with the Indian who attacked Cable. Who do you think has more to lose: you or Aaron?† â€Å"Neither of us is losing anything, Josh. This whole thing is a mistake. I don't care what you saw, I don't know anything about any Indian, and I resent the veiled threat.† â€Å"No threat, Sam. Just information. It's the cleanest commodity, you know? No fingerprints, no fibers, no serial numbers. It's kind of ethereal – religious in a way. People will pay for something that they can't smell, or taste, or touch. It's fucking glorious, isn't it? I should have been a spy.† Sam listened to Spagnola sigh, then to the breathing over the line. Here it was again, the standoff. How many times had he backed down over the years? How many times had fear of discovery caused him to lie low and play the role of the victim? Too damn many. He always seemed to be running from the past and avoiding the future, but the future came anyway. Very softly, barely speaking over a whisper, Sam said, â€Å"Josh, before you become too enraptured, remember the information you don't have.† â€Å"What's that, old buddy?† â€Å"You have no idea who I am or what I'm capable of.† There was a silence on the line, as if Spagnola was considering what Sam had said. â€Å"Good-bye, Josh,† Sam whispered. He hung up the phone, grabbed his car keys, and headed out the door to the Mercedes. As he disarmed the alarm and climbed in the car he realized that he also had no idea who he was or what he was capable of, and for the first time in his life it didn't frighten him. In fact, it felt good. Coyote Gets His Powers One day, a long time ago, before there were any men or televisions, and only animal people walked the Earth, Great Spirit, the first worker, decided that he would give everyone a new name. He told the animal people to come to his lodge at sunrise and he would give each one a new name with all the powers that went with it. â€Å"To be fair,† Great Spirit said, â€Å"names will be given on a first-come, first-served basis.† The Earth was a pretty fair place in those days as long as you showed up on time. Coyote had a problem with this method, however. He liked to sleep until lunchtime and lie around thinking up tricks until late afternoon, so getting up at sunrise was a problem, but he really wanted to get a good name. â€Å"Eagle would be good,† he thought. â€Å"I would be swift and strong. Or if I take the name of Bear I will never be defeated by my enemies. Yep, I got to get me a good name even if I have to stay up all night.† When the sun went down Coyote looked all over for a good espresso bar, but even in those days they were full of pretentious pseudointellectual animal people who sat around in open-toed moccasins and whined about how unfair the world was, which it wasn't. â€Å"I don't have the stomach for that,† said Coyote. â€Å"I think I'll just score some magic wake-up powder and stay wired that way.† Coyote went to see Raven. It was well known among the animal people that Raven had a connection with a green bird from South America and was always good for some wake-up powder. â€Å"I'm sorry Coyote, my friend, but I cannot extend you any credit. I'll need three prairie dogs, up front, if you want the product. And remember, I like my prairie dogs squashed real flat.† Raven was a greasy little prick who thought he was cool because he wore sunglasses all the time, even at night. Who was he to act so high and mighty? Coyote was insulted. â€Å"Look, man, I'll have a new name tomorrow. I'm going to go for Eagle. Just advance me the gram now and I'll give you six prairie dogs in the morning.† Raven shook his head. Coyote slunk away. â€Å"I can stay awake without magic,† Coyote said. â€Å"I just have to concentrate.† Coyote tried to stay awake, but by the time the moon was high in the sky he started to doze off. â€Å"This isn't working,† he said. â€Å"I can't keep my eyes open.† Talking to himself often gave Coyote ideas, which was a good thing, because hardly anyone else would talk to him. He broke a couple of thorns from a cactus and used them to prop his eyes open. â€Å"I'm a genius,† he said. Then he fell asleep anyway. When Coyote finally awoke the sun was directly overhead. He rushed to Great Spirit's lodge and burst through the door flap. â€Å"Eagle! I want Eagle,† he said. His eyes were dry and cracked from being propped open and his fur was matted with blood where the thorns had pierced his eyelids. â€Å"Eagle was the first to go,† Great Spirit said. â€Å"What happened to you? You look like hammered shit.† â€Å"Bad night,† Coyote said. â€Å"What's left? Bear? Bear would be good.† â€Å"There's only one name left,† Great Spirit said. â€Å"Nobody wanted it.† â€Å"What is it?† â€Å"Coyote.† â€Å"You're shitting me.† â€Å"Great Spirit is not a shitter.† Coyote ran outside where the other animal people were laughing and talking about their new names and powers. He tried to get them to trade names, but even Dung Beetle told him to get lost. Great Spirit watched Coyote from his lodge and felt sorry for him. â€Å"Come here, kid,† Great Spirit said. â€Å"Look, you're stuck with a lousy name, but maybe I can make up for it. You have to keep the name, but from now on you are Chief of the Without Fires. And from now on you can take on any shape that you choose and wear it as long as you wish.† Coyote thought about it for a minute. It was a pretty good gift; maybe he should work this pity angle more often. â€Å"So that means that everyone has to do what I say?† â€Å"Sometimes,† Great Spirit said. â€Å"Sometimes?† Coyote asked. Great Spirit nodded and Coyote figured he'd better leave before Great Spirit changed his mind. â€Å"Thanks, G.S., I'm outta here. Got to see someone about some sunglasses.† Coyote loped off. CHAPTER 11 The God, the Bad, and the Ugly Santa Barbara During the short drive to his office Sam decided that if Gabriella gave him the least little bit of shit he would fire her on the spot. If his life was going to fall apart before his eyes there was no reason to suffer the slings and arrows of ungrateful employees. There were also twenty younger agents who worked under him, and as long as he held partnership in the agency he held the power to hire and fire. Let one of them mouth off, he thought. Let one of them look sideways at me and they're going to be a distant memory, taillights on the horizon, gone, out, shit-canned, pink-slipped, instantly unemployed. He walked into his office with his temper locked, loaded, and ready to fire, but was immediately disarmed when he saw Gabriella tilted back in her chair, skirt thrown up around her waist, her legs spread wide and high heels alternately pumping in the air and digging into the back of the naked Indian, who was on his knees in front of her, wheeling her chair back and forth, thrusting into her with greedy abandon and yipping with each stroke as counterpoint to the monkey noises that escaped Gabriella in rhythmic bursts. â€Å"Hey!† Sam shouted. Gabriella looked over the Indian's shoulder at Sam and held one finger in the air as if marking a point, then pointed to the message pad on the desk. â€Å"One call,† she gasped. The Indian pulled her to him in a particularly violent thrust and Gabriella grabbed his shoulder with both hands, popping her press-on nails off and across the room like tiddlywinks. Sam shook off his shock, ran forward, and caught the Indian around the neck in a choke hold. The Indian pumped wildly in the air as Sam dragged him off Gabriella and across the outer office. He fell over backward into his office with the Indian still squirming in his grasp and it occurred to him that unless things turned quickly to his advantage he was in serious danger of being humped. He rolled the Indian over on the carpet and pinned him, facedown, while he looked around for a weapon. The only thing in reach was the big multi-line phone on his desk. Sam released the choke hold and lunged for the phone, catching it by the cord. He swung around with it just in time to hit the Indian in the face as he was rising to his hands and knees. The phone exploded into a spray of electronic shrapnel and the Indian fell forward onto his face, unconscious but twitching against the carpet in petit-mal afterhumps. Sam looked at the broom of colored wires at the end of the cord where the phone used to be, then dropped it and staggered to his feet. Gabriella was standing by the door, smoothing her skirt down. Her lipstick was smeared across her face and her hair was spiked into a fright wig of hair spray and sweat. She started to speak, then noticed that one of her breasts was still peeking out of her dress. â€Å"Excuse me.† She turned and tucked herself in, then turned back to Sam. â€Å"I'll hold your calls,† she said officiously, then she pulled the door closed, leaving Sam alone in the office with the unconscious, naked Indian. â€Å"You're fired,† Sam whispered to the closed door. He looked down at the Indian and saw a bloodstain spreading around his head on the carpet. He didn't seem to be breathing. Sam fell to his knees and felt the Indian's neck for a pulse. Nothing. â€Å"Fuck, not again!† Sam paced around the desk four times before he fell back in his leather executive chair and clamped his hands on his temples as if trying to squeeze out a solution. Instead he thought of police and prison and felt hope running through his fingers like liquid light, leaving him dark with despair. A growling noise from the floor. Sam looked over the desk to see the body of the Indian moving. He started to breathe a sigh of relief when he realized that the body wasn't moving at all, it was changing. His eyes went wide with terror as the arms and legs shortened and grew fur, the face grew into a whiskered muzzle, and the spinal column lengthened and grew into a bushy tail. Before Sam could catch his breath again he was looking at the body of a huge black coyote. The coyote got to its feet and shook its head as if clearing its ears of water, then it leapt on the desk and growled at Sam, who rolled his chair back until it hit the wall behind his desk. Sam pushed himself up by the chair arms until he was almost standing against the wall, desperately trying to put even a millimeter more between himself and the snarling muzzle of the coyote. The coyote crawled forward on the desk until its face was only inches from Sam's. Sam could feel the coyote's moist breath on his face. It smelled of something familiar, something burnt. He wanted to turn his head away and close his eyes until the horror went away, but his gaze remained locked on the coyote's golden eyes. He wanted to scream but there was no breath for it and he found his jaw was moving but no sound was coming out. The coyote backed away and sat on the desk, then raised its lowered ears and tilted its head to the side as if perplexed. Sam felt himself take a breath and the strange urge to say â€Å"Good doggie† came over him, but he remained rigid and quiet. The coyote began to shake and Sam thought it would attack, but instead it threw back its head as if to howl. The skin on the coyote's neck began to undulate and surge and took on the shape of a human face. The fur receded from the face, then away from the front legs, which became arms, then down the back legs, which lengthened into crouching human legs. As the fur peeled it lost its black color, turning the burnt tan of a normal coyote. It was as if a human was literally crawling out of a cocoon of coyote skin, the black color becoming black buckskins trimmed with red feathers. A minute passed in what seemed a year as the transformation took place. When it was finished the Indian was crouched on Sam's desk wearing a coyote-skin headd ress that had once been his own skin. â€Å"Fuck,† Sam said, falling back into the chair, his eyes trained now on the golden eyes of the Indian. â€Å"Woof,† the Indian said with a grin. Sam shook his head, trying to get the image to go away. His mind was still rattling around in chaos trying to put this into some sort of meaningful context, but all he could do was wish that he would pass out and that his kneecaps would stop jumping with adrenaline. â€Å"Woof,† the Indian repeated. He jumped from the desk, adjusted the headdress that moments ago had been his skin, then sat in the chair opposite Sam. â€Å"Got a smoke?† he said. Sam felt his mind lock on to the request. Yes, he understood that. Yes, he could do that. A smoke. He reached into his shirt pocket for his cigarettes and lighter and fumbled them out, lost his grip, and sent them skittering across the desk. He was scrambling for them when the Indian reached out and patted his hand. Sam screamed, the high-pitched wail of a little girl, and jumped back into his chair, which rolled back until his head snapped against the wall. The Indian turned his head to the side quizzically, the same way the coyote had, then took the cigarettes from the desk and lit two with the lighter. He held one out to Sam, who remained pushed back in the chair. The Indian nodded for Sam to take the cigarette, then waited while Sam inched forward, snatched it out of his hand, and quickly retreated to his position by the back wall. The Indian took a deep drag on the cigarette, then turned his head and blew the smoke out in rings that crept across the desk like ghosts. Sam had curled into the fetal position in his chair and looked up only to cast a sideways glance at the Indian when he took a drag from his own cigarette. It occurred to him that he should feel silly, but he didn't. He was still too frightened to feel silly. When his cigarette was half gone he started to calm down. His fear was draining away, being replaced with indignant anger. The Indian sat calmly, smoking and looking around the office. Sam put his feet on the floor, scooted the chair back under the desk, and set what he hoped was a hard gaze on the Indian. â€Å"Who are you?† he asked. The Indian smiled and his eyes lit up like an excited child's. â€Å"I am the stink in your shoe, the buzz in your ear, the wind through the trees. I am the-â€Å" â€Å"Who are you?† Sam interrupted. â€Å"What is your name?† The Indian continued to grin while smoke trickled between his teeth. He said, â€Å"The Cheyenne call me Wihio, the Sioux, Iktome. The Blackfeet call me Napi Old Man. The Cree call me Saultaux, the Micmac, Glooscap. I am the Great Hare on the East Coast and Raven on the West. You know me, Samson Hunts Alone, I am your spirit helper.† Sam gulped. â€Å"Coyote?† â€Å"Yep.† â€Å"You're a myth.† â€Å"A legend,† the Indian said. â€Å"You are just a bunch of stories to teach children.† â€Å"True stories.† â€Å"No, just stories. Old Man Coyote is just a fairy tale.† â€Å"Should I change shapes again? You liked that.† â€Å"No! No, don't do that.† Sam had guessed the Indian's identity the day before when he'd opened the medicine bundle, but he had hoped it would all go away and he would find himself the victim of a childhood superstition. Religion was supposed to be a matter of faith. Gods were not supposed to jump on your desk and snarl at you. They weren't supposed to sit in your office smoking cigarettes. Gods didn't do anything. They were supposed to ignore you and let you suffer and die having never known whether your religion was a waste of time. Faith. Sure, the gods were a badly behaving lot in stories – jealous, impatient, selfish, vengeful, smiting whole races of people, raping virgins, sending plagues and pestilence – and even as gods went, Coyote was a particularly bad example, but they were supposed to stay in the damn stories, not show up and hump your homely secretary until she made monkey noises. â€Å"What are you doing here?† Sam asked. â€Å"I'm here to help you.† â€Å"Help? You ruined my business and got me kicked out of my home.† â€Å"You wanted to scare the diver so I scared him. You wanted the girl so I gave her to you.† â€Å"Well what about all the cats at my condo complex? What about my secretary? How did that help me?† â€Å"If I was not meant to have ugly women and cats they would not be so easy to catch.† It was the kind of backward, perverse logic that had irritated Sam as a child. Pokey Medicine Wing had been a master at it. It seemed to Sam at times as if the entire Crow Nation was trying to define a silicon-chip world with a Stone Age worldview. Sam thought he had escaped it. â€Å"Why me? Why not someone who believes?† â€Å"This is more fun.† Sam resisted the urge to leap over the desk and choke the Indian. It was still â€Å"the Indian† in his head. He hadn't yet accepted that he was talking to Coyote, Chief of the Without Fires. Even with the overwhelming evidence of the supernatural, he searched for a natural explanation for what was happening. A lifetime of disbelief is not easily shed. He tried to find some parallel experience that would put things in order, something he'd read or seen on PBS. Nothing was forthcoming, so he speculated. How would Aaron react if faced with this situation? Aaron didn't acknowledge his Irish heritage any more than Sam admitted his own Crow roots. What if a leprechaun suddenly appeared on Aaron's desk? He'd affect a brogue and try to talk the little fucker into putting his pot o' gold into tax-deferred annuities. No, Aaron was not the person to think of in a spiritual emergency. Coyote smiled as if he had read Sam's thoughts. â€Å"What do you want, Samson Hunts Alone?† Sam didn't even hesitate to think. â€Å"I want my old life back to the way it was before you fucked it up.† â€Å"Why?† Now Sam was forced to think. Why indeed? Every time Sam hired a new agent he glorified his and Aaron's lifestyles. He would take a bright, hungry young man for a ride in the Mercedes, buy him lunch at the Biltmore or another of Santa Barbara's finer restaurants, flash cash and gold cards and expensive suits – plant the seed of greed, as Aaron called it – then give the kid a means to pursue his germinating dream of material bliss while Sam collected ten percent on everything he sold. It was part of the show, one of the many roles he played, and the car, the clothes, the condo, and the clout were merely props. Without the props the show could not go on. â€Å"Why do you want your life back?† Coyote asked, as if Sam had forgotten the question. â€Å"It's safe,† Sam blurted out. â€Å"So safe,† Coyote said, â€Å"that you can lose it in a day? To be safe is to be afraid. Is that what you want: to be afraid?† â€Å"I'm not afraid.† â€Å"Then why do you lie? You want the girl.† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"I will help you get her.† â€Å"I don't need your help. I need you gone.† â€Å"I am very good with women.† â€Å"Like you're good with cats and couches?† â€Å"Great heroes have great horniness. You should feel what it is like to pleasure a falcon. You lock talons with her in the sky and do it while you both are falling like meteors. You would like it; they never complain if you come too fast.† â€Å"Get out of here.† â€Å"I will go, but I will be with you.† Coyote rose and walked to the door. As he opened it he said, â€Å"Don't be afraid.† He stepped out of his office and closed the door. Suddenly, Sam leapt to his feet and headed after him. â€Å"Stay off my secretary!† he shouted. He ripped open the door and looked into the outer office where Gabriella, her composure regained, was typing up a claim form. Coyote was gone. Gabriella looked up and raised a disapproving eyebrow. â€Å"Is there a problem, Mr. Hunter?† â€Å"No,† Sam said. â€Å"No problem.† â€Å"You sounded frightened.† â€Å"I'm not frightened, goddammit!† Sam slammed the door and went to the desk for a cigarette. His cigarettes and lighter were gone. He stood there for a moment, feeling a flush of anger rise in him until he thought he would scream, then he fell back into his chair and smiled as he remembered something Pokey Medicine Wing had once told him: â€Å"Anger is the spirits telling you that you are alive.†

Are You a Fraud or a Genius

Are You a Fraud or a Genius Eventually in your writing career, especially once youve published once or twice, youll receive some semblance of admiration from people. Some will be people you admired as you struggled. Some even might be authors youve idolized or teachers who knocked sense into a concept, who you could never thank enough for shaking you from whatever doldrums you were in. Suddenly, they admire you. Or lets say you place in a contest. Its great! But then you consider the win a fluke, a positive event that will not repeat itself. You are grateful, of course, but not expecting to do it again. What we are doing is trying to lessen the blow of rejection, disapproval, and criticism. Most of the famous, successful, and influential people of this world wrestle with the Imposter Syndrome. We call it grounding ourselves. Keeping it real. Avoiding being labeled arrogant or self-absorbed. We consider ourselves big fishes in small ponds for a temporary moment, then crawl back into our mudbanks and write for ourselves, ever dreaming of one day doing well. Even gifted geniuses think this way, almost sabotaging themselves from the success they are due. The easiest way to cope with the imposter syndrome is to take everything at face value. When you do well embrace it, accept the accolades. When complimented, just say thank you, without the buts, excuses, or IÂ  dont deserve it words, because at that moment in time, you do. When you get rejected, dont look for blame. Just know that your piece was not the best fit for where you submitted it. Back up, learn from the experience, then move on. Rewrite or resubmit. The good or the bad, just chalk it up as part of the journey. All that angst, name-blaming, and emotional baggage that comes with thinking youre a fraud just saps your creative energies. Take each step of this writing business as a rung on a ladder and a lesson to learn from. You are not an imposter. You are on a fresh journey you hope to travel the rest of your life. And like any journey, enjoy the scenery. Everyone Suffers from Impostor Syndrome https://hbr.org/2016/07/everyone-suffers-from-imposter-syndrome-heres-how-to-handle-it

Compare and contrast the two worlds of Venice and Belmont depicted in Shakespears The Merchant of Venice Essays

Compare and contrast the two worlds of Venice and Belmont depicted in Shakespears The Merchant of Venice Essays Compare and contrast the two worlds of Venice and Belmont depicted in Shakespears The Merchant of Venice Paper Compare and contrast the two worlds of Venice and Belmont depicted in Shakespears The Merchant of Venice Paper Essay Topic: Back in the World Stories Merchant Of Venice Play The Lord Of the Rings the Fellowship Of the Ring The Merchant of Venice is a play written by Shakespeare. It corresponds two very contrasting stories and settings. One of these stories takes place in 16th century Venice and the other from Shakespeares imagination, Belmont. Both the stories have such different settings in them, which Shakespeare deliberately does. Theres The Bond Story, which takes place in Venice and then theres The Casket Story which takes place in Belmont. Both have totally different atmospheres and conflicting stories. Each setting forms the backdrop to two very different stories. The two settings have very dissimilar natures. Venice is a trading city with a thriving community. Venice is the centre of International trade making it a wealthy city. Shakespeare makes passing references to the citys features; Signor Antonio, many a time and oft In the Rialto you have rated me About my monies and my usances He continues; Since that the trade and profit of the city Consisteth of all nations. Therefore go. Belmont on the other hand comes from Shakespears imagination. Belmont is very femininely dominated. Its a wealthy city like Venice. Belmont is a fairy tale world of love and romance, which Shakespeare imagines it to be. It is a harmonious and tranquil city. Although we are not told if it is an island or not, we get passing references that give us a hint it is an island as it is described as a beautiful, opulent mansion; The watery kingdom, whose ambitious head Spits in the face of heaven, is no bar To stop the foreign spirits, but they come This shows the reader that the house must be a luxurious mansion. The phrase the watery kingdom shows it is Neptunes realm. Portia also shows the reader that her house is great; when Bassanio picks the right casket describes her house as this fair mansion. Belmont is the home of the rich Portia. Portia lives in a beautiful great mansion; But now I was the lord Of this fair mansion, master of my servants This shows that Belmont is magnificent, peaceful and tension free. The complete opposite to Venice. There are two main stories The Bond Story and The Casket Story. The bond story takes place in Venice and the casket story takes place in Belmont. Venice is a wealthy, trading city where much business man live. It consists of dramatic, tense events and is a place full of unhappy and unkind people, however it could be said that it also has a vibrant street life. The scenes in Venice mostly take place on the streets. It is very masculine. It is a mercantile risk-taking city. This is where the serious side of the play takes place. On the other hand Belmont is a city, which reflects tranquil, harmonious comedy. The main character of the bond story is the rich Jew, Shylock. He is the moneylender. The other characters in the casket story are Bassanio, an Italian lord who is a suitor to Portia, Antonio, a merchant of Venice. The main plot of the story is, that Bassanio wants to go to Belmont to marry Portia, however doesnt have enough money, so his good friend Antonio wishes to borrow money from Shylock to give to Bassanio to go to Belmont. Yet Shylock and Antonio hate one another; You call me misbeliever, cut throat dog, And spit upon my Jewish gaberdine This shows that Antonio has such hatred of Shylock. However Shylock lends Antonio three thousand ducats, but for a very harsh price; let the forfeit Be nominated for an equal pound Of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken In what part of your body pleaseth me As you can see Shylock is asking for exactly a pound of fair flesh from Antonio, from whatever part of the body he chooses. This makes the bond a murderous one especially between Shylock and Antonio. Shylock wants revenge for the many times he as a Jew has been hurt. This side of the play is dominated by hate. The main themes that take place in Venice are hatred, religious intolerance, revenge, greed and prejudice. This reflects upon the city as being murderous, dramatic and tense. Whereas Belmont on the other hand is a city of Love, marriage, romance and comedy. Belmont is an aspect of the play, which brings the comedy, fairytale romance into perspective. It changes the play from tense and murderous to fun and comedic. It breaks up the dark, horrid features of Shylock and adds gentle, beautiful features of Portia and Bassanio and Lorenzo and Jessica; an equal pound of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken to How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank! This also shows that Belmont is a peaceful, moonlit and calm place to be whereas Venice is masculine and tense. The casket story is set in Belmont; it mainly captures Portia, and her great beauty; In Belmont is a lady richly left, And she is fair, and fairer than that word- Of wondrous virtues. Sometimes from her eyes I did receive fair speechless messages The prince of Morocco repeatedly calls Portia as fair Portia. This shows her beauty. He also says all the world desires her. The comedic features take place in Belmont, when the suitors arrive. Before Portias father died he wanted to make sure she would marry the perfect man so he planed a test. He made three caskets; one gold, one silver and one lead. First came the prince of Morocco, he choose the Gold casket which was incorrect, then came the prince of Aragon, he choose the Silver casket which too was incorrect then finally came Bassanio he choose the casket that was made from lead and that was correct. Bassanio and Portia rejoice, Gratiano marries Nerissa and Lorenzo marries Jessica. The main themes here are love, marriage, romance and comedy. The societies represented in the two settings are very different. The Venetian society is energetic, opulent, full of wealthy confident young men for example; Bassanio, Lorenzo, Gratiano, Salarino and Salanio. They enjoy good fellowship and help each other through life for example when Gratiano and Salarino help Lorenzo elope with Jessica. Another example is when Antonio helps Bassanio court Portia. However they make life intolerable for those outside their group; Fair say, you spat on me on Wednesday last, You spurnd me such a day, another time You calld me dog: and for these courtesies Ill lend you thus much monies This shows that Antonio makes life intolerable for Shylock. This shows that Antonio has been so cruel to him simply because hes a Jew. Venice is a city full of dramatic tensions, especially racial tension; between the Christians and Jews. Shylock says; I hate him for he is a Christian This shows his hatred towards Christians, especially Antonio. They both hate each other simply for the fact that they are different religions; Antonio being Christian and Shylock being Jewish. Belmont is very different to the Venetian society. Belmont is a place of wealth and luxury. Portia lives in a mansion and when the prince of Morocco arrives there, he enters to a flourish of cornets. This shows Belmont is a place of harmony and ease free from the commercial bustle of Venice, and the racial tension. Both Belmont and Venice have different atmospheres, Venice being energetic and exciting. A city full of dramatic tensions for example racial tension, mercantile risk taking, when Antonio borrows money from Shylock in the hope that several ambitious business ventures will produce large profits; Why, fear not, man, I will not forfeit it. Within these two months, thats a month before This bond expires, I do expect return Of thrice three times the value of this bond This shows there is a lot of competition and rivalry, especially between two of the plays central figures Antonio and Shylock. Belmonts atmosphere on the other hand is calm, peaceful, and free from the tensions of Venice; How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank! Here will we sit, and let the sounds of music Creep in our ears; soft stillness and the night Become the touches of sweet harmony Shakespeare has chosen to set The Merchant of Venice in two very different settings because the play has two very different stories in it. One reason could be to provide a sharp and dramatically effective contrast. Another reason maybe The Venetian setting provides us with the serious side of tension. Conversely Belmont gives us the Casket story, which lightens the mood throughout the whole play, because Shakespeare has chosen to go back and forth from Belmont to Venice. For example the great drama of the court scene just before the plays end is immediately followed by the romance and gentle comedy of the plays final scene, the coming together of the three lovers, Bassanio and Portia, Gratiano and Nerissa and Lorenzo and Jessica. The play finishes in Belmont on a note of love and harmony rather than in Venice on a note of hatred, vengeance and betrayal.

Consumer socialization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Consumer socialization - Essay Example For children, a "gift" is anything they get beyond the basics of food, shelter and tools necessary to perform their studies. They soon recognize specific occasions for receiving gifts, such as their birthday and holidays like Christmas, Easter, and Hanukkah, among others, but continue to seek and receive gifts for other reasons such as good behavior or success in school. Often a gift for good grades is given at the end of the school term. This is all considered "dependent" consumption, as children do not yet have access to their own money to make purchases. Bjurstrom also refers to it as the "gift economy". It is not exclusive to children, of course. Adults use gifts for many reasons, primarily relationship-building and maintenance throughout their lives. (Bjurstrom, 2003.) "Independent" consumption, defined as supporting oneself from one's own income, is a large factor in the transition from childhood to adulthood today. Gender socialization does have an influence on the transition from dependent to independent consumption, while this is diminishing in many countries. Many women, even in developed countries, never fully evolve in their consumer socialization beyond the "gift economy." Their ideal husband is strong and loving, and buys what is needed and wanted without asking questions. The sooner young people of both genders are taught and encouraged to integrate dependent and independent consumption, the more effective consumers they will be. Young people should learn to use money from their allowances, and earnings from household chores, to buy birthday gifts for friends and family members as soon as possible, even if the gifts are small in size and value. This will help them learn to select and purchase, use money wisely, and understand the emotional and relationship impacts of receiving and giving gifts. While the age of young people who are able to practice fully independent consumption is getting later and later in the developed nations, due to the prolonged time they spend in post-secondary education, they are beginning to practice some forms of independent consumption at earlier ages in the 21st century than in the 20th. This is due to factors such as family income, as in many families around the world, both parents now work outside the home and earn income. (Bjurstrom, 2003.) Family income is a critically important factor in a study of consumer socialization in south Asia, based on surveys analyzed by M.F. Sabri, J. Masud, and L. Paim, of the University Putra Malaysia. The survey respondents were college students. The replies were given by 68% female respondents and 32% male. They lived in both rural and urban areas, and came from families with an average of 5 children. Most often they were middle children, rather than the oldest or youngest. This research also demonstrates the consumer socialization influences on these young respondents, aged 17 to 21. These young people were able to be relatively independent consumers due to their family income. Their parents could afford to send them to university and provide them with a generous allowance to use for living expenses. Most of the students lived away from

Events Project management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Events Project management - Essay Example Leisure events are sports and recreational in nature; personal events cover birthdays, weddings and anniversaries; cultural events are heritage, art and culture and folklore whereas commercial, political, charitable and sales events come under organizational events (Shone and Parry 4). Following discusses the nature of each of these events in detail. Cultural Events Cultural events are usually organized to celebrate the history and heritage of a place. Although cultural events are mostly commercial, they may also have religious aspects. Cultural events have great economic benefits; however the main aim of cultural events remains the confirmation or celebration of culture. Carnivals, concerts and parades are some forms of cultural events. Cultural events create economic opportunities and recognition for a town or a city. They attract tourists and thus boost tourism in a place. Leisure Events Sports events and recreational events come under the category of leisure events. ... ational events can be anything from corporate events, the anniversary celebrations of organizations, fundraisers, award functions, ground breaking ceremonies, business and commercial events to large government and political events. These events can be product launch ceremonies, conferences, exhibitions, award or other staff motivation ceremonies. In political and government events media plays a major role. These events are costly and are handled by professional event management teams. Personal and Private Events The personal and private events are special occasions one likes to celebrate with his/her families and friends. People like to celebrate their achievements and age related events such as birthdays, graduation, homecomings, anniversaries etc. with their close friends and family members. Among the personal events, weddings are hugely popular. In fact with the introduction of professional event management, wedding planning has turned into a multibillion dollar industry (Allen xv ). As weddings are supposed to be the biggest day in a person’s life, wedding planning is done meticulously so that everything goes perfect on the big day. Some couples may have a theme in mind and some may not have a clear vision and require assistance from event managers. This paper presents the event project management plan for a wedding ceremony. It starts with the introduction of the event describing its aims and objectives and stakeholder analysis. Then the paper discusses the skills required to plan and organize an event and role of project management in event planning in the light of literature. Then a complete event management plan for a wedding will be presented. Wedding Planning - Aims and Objectives and Stakeholder Analysis Events vary a great deal depending upon the number of